A few years ago I sustained a significant concussion while mountain biking, then just a week later had surgery for a pre-existing labral tear in my shoulder. A couple weeks after I was back in college, and felt just a bit different. I never had insomnia previously, but suddenly I found myself anxious and confused as I struggled to fall asleep each night. I would get in bed and keep checking the clock each hour as I tried to calm my mind, but before I knew it five hours would pass and I’d still be awake. Sleep was even harder then as I would start to fret about the next day. Thus began a vicious cycle, and I soon broke down and asked for a prescription of Ambien (zolpidem) sleeping pills.

As I got up to leave the examination room, the doctor's assistant mentioned that if I wanted to facilitate the healing process I could consider taking a calcium supplement or multi-vitamin. Historically the research has been inconclusive on whether vitamin supplementation is effective or possibly even harmful, so I decided to look into this statement a bit further.

The new MCAT (2015 MCAT) is by far the most intensive and expansive test of the undergraduate career. The good news is that a few months of focused, intense study will give you the basic tools to handle even the most complicated looking questions. I just recently finished the MCAT journey in May 2016, and wanted to write this as an informal guide to help future test takers.